The Reconstruction of Congress How Can Democracy Be Made More Efficient and Responsible?
Koenig, Louis W.
The Reconstruction of Congress How Can Democracy Be Made More Efficient and Responsible? By Louis W. Koenig CONGRESS'S great reeponaibilities in waging w and making peace far* focus? ng sharp...
...At various points in the war, the Administration has •atd commendable method* for advising Congress, •jtolait'e report on Yalta and Hull's on the Moscow 0,"*w«nce, although they imparted little information, **· · desirable procedur...
...This committee would consist of the chairmen of the major standing committees...
...Under our system of separated powers, Congress knows that to be something, it must oppose the President...
...Furthermore, government is such a fortuitous Interplay of proeedmrs and personalities that the reorganization planner* could never have the omniscience to foresee every consequence of * reorganization...
...Party controls must also bt effective over the members of the Majority Policy Committee...
...The House of Commons is subject to im metat» responsibilities in its dealings with the executive...
...The members of the Majority Committee might succumb to the same psychology...
...Committee chairmen, bloc leaders and legislators who advocate a particular viewpoint may be moved to supply leadership, but none of these represents more than a limited legislative group...
...The National Planning Association points out that the committee would provide a definite locus of leadership...
...0 » * The weak ness of all these devices is their complete dependence upon the President's inclination to use them...
...it has nothing to substitute for what it rejects...
...Ita size must be kept small or it will be unwieldy for the active processes of policy-making...
...The National Planning Association has proposed that Congress satisfy its leadership needs by establishing a Majority Policy Committee in each House...
...ft* critics agree that Congress has three fundamental weahnttttt which muat be corrected jl_Congre*s can now obatruct and delay the Presidents legislative proposals without having to assume any immediate reapoiwibility for the consequences...
...En» Hi most ffttmfiy rritica «re proposing that it ba drastically ijafl?T"'—* t0 elin,in*t* fumbling and make poasibia fa affkient operation demanded by iu tremendous DHC Justice Bymee and Mayor LeGuardia, as former ?gjhnatois who hare maintained ? keen" interest in r^afress have suggested sweeping changes for its ??s?eiir r-* and private agencies tike the National stjaning Association and the American Political Science aasartation have proponed thorough-going reforms, pane of which have already been introduced as reao-jgtient in Congress...
...Hence the" House is responsible in its relations with the government...
...No one should expoct that these fundamental weaknesses of Congress's present organization will be cured by a single reorganization...
...Such support can never bt assured without much stronger party control in Congress than there is at present...
...The Majority Policy Committee will be meaningless unless it has the continuous support of a majority of the legislature...
...Certainly, Congrets cannot properly perform its responsibilities of overseeing the executive and enacting complicated legislation without more ample staffing...
...The President'* attitude toward the committee is not easy to predict He will be disinclined to respect it if it lacks continuous party support If support develops, the President might regard tbt committee with alarm, since legislative loyalties might be directed more to the committee leaders than to th* President...
...The solution is simple...
...Hit report to Congress on the exchange ·* destroyers for batet with Britain in August 1941 »"•an almost verbatim reproduction of a White House ?*·** ttstement issued a week earlier...
...The precis it ? confirm-img one...
...If its member* should become the undisputed leaders of Congress, their opinion would have immense weight with the President...
...Government has became so complicated in the past few decades of global wart fare and economic depression that the legislature, to act intelligently, needs expert advice...
...He was similarly ?arlertfui to reporting to Congress the momentous ••«arion* reached at Quebec, Cairo, and Teheran...
...The assignment ef legislation to committees must become more flexible to avoid the reference of majority proposals to heatile committees...
...it will have to bt done piecemeal, tt pntittn permits and experience, requireo...
...wan not enacted until September...
...They have not been regularized by practice nor is their use compelled by any legal sanction...
...The unfortunate flare tip which led to Senator Barkley'* resignation aa majority leader, because of Roosevelt's lackadaisical attitude toward his advice generally, shows the poverty of constructive relations between the President and legislative leaders...
...Even at «stute a politician as Roosevelt has sometimes been neglectful about informing Congress...
...However, appropriations for this purpose are so meagre that staffs are small and temporary...
...The a^anhhmt'f secrecy bred suspicion and mUunderstand...
...2—Congress all too frequently lacks leadership in formulating national policy...
...The President is mainly interested in their advice on parliamentary tactics...
...Much Congressional obstruction which mars present legislative-executive relations might be reduced if tbe President took Congress more into his confidence...
...For instance, be t*i not advise Congress of the Atlantic Charter meeting until nearly a week after he had returned to the United State...
...h» Congress which easily may develop into outright »atogsiiism...
...The difference between the Roosevelt-Churchill for-laaat with the legislature may be explained quite •imply...
...Congress has no continuous leadership of its own which can speak or plan for it as a whole...
...On thorny issues like the Greek Civil War and the Yalta decisions affecting IvJand, he has received the overwhelming support of the House...
...if it follows him, it regards Itself a rubber-stamp...
...sometimes lacks energy and conviction to support desirable policies...
...I Very little sentiment exists for the United Statut to »dopt the responsibiliy features of the British system...
...At present, few Congressional leaders have more than s superficial influence in the initial planning of Presidential policies...
...typical investigating committee receives only $10,000 for a staff...
...This tactic, which Wood row Wilton unfortunately neglected, might mollify potential opposition to the world organization plan when it comet to the Senate as a treaty...
...Still other advantages Alight be claimed for such a committee...
...The Senate, for instance, might impose a limited cloture upon itself to prevent filibusters by "a little group of willful men...
...The standing committees, especially the Senate's, might be prevented from seriously delaying or pigeonholing measures they do not like...
...The committee's position would then become thoroughly undermined at the expense of its effectiveness in Congrats and with tbt President Congress will have to alter tome of ita procedures to make the Majority Committee workable...
...The President aloe encountered delay on the Selective Service Act...
...Under our system of separated powers, how-tver, if Roosevelt's Democratic majority in Congress should forsake him, even on the most important measure, they may do so without any immediate responsibility for the consequences...
...For the impending Sen Francisco '•"fcftnee, the President used legislators as agents and ? advisors...
...The seniority rule governing standing committee chairmanships alao muat be set aside when the prospective appointee's friendliness to the majority viewpoint ft In doubt...
...He asked for legislation ia Jese, 1940...
...Congress needt merely to appropriate more money for the purpose and to draw more intelligently upon the private aourcct of expert information...
...Meanwhile, prices spiraled swiftly upward, causing irreparable damage to the s-trtiaie economy...
...Probably not mora than twelve committees in each House should bt concerned with major legislation...
...On both domestic and international "•"teres, Roosevelt faced legislative obstruction which ?%?* have ban avoided had he taken Congress more *» bis confidence...
...If the House should defeat or delay Churchill on any measures like those on which Controm has obstructed Roosevelt, either of two things woqld happen: a new government would be formed in the,House, or the House would be dissolved and a general election held...
...WaNnee's nomination aa Secretary of Commerce was bag delayed in the Senate, and the President had to agree to a severe reduction of the Secretary's powers by the George Act...
...Congress is not...
...Otherwise, the committee conceivably might not represent tbt viewa of tbt majority...
...Several times the President has apkod Congress for national service legislation, to no traiL la his ilealingt with the House of Commons, Churchill km net suffered any hardships which are even faintly eempeiaoie to Roosevelt's...
...The Price Control Act, which the Fresidenl requested in July, 1941, simmered in Constant until January 80,1942...
...Early in 1943, it '""ducted a seminar on foreign policy with selected ?^j""»* from both major partie*, and in March 1944, ** »«tan a series of meetings with the Senate For-JM Relations Committee on the details of the collec-*· «tourRy plan...
...The remedies would have to be drastic and thorough-going...
...The majority leader would be chairman of the Policy Committee...
...He would take pains to consult with the Committee both before and after his major . legislative projects are introduced in Congress...
...it would coordinate the standing committees, synthesize divergent interests and provide an official point with which the President might communicate...
...Its Opposition is often negative and incoherent...
...Since a majority of the House regard both these prospects as political catastrophes, the government is supported on every measure...
...Limited cloture muat bt imposed in the Senate to prevent the frustration of the Majority Committee by the heedless opposition of small group...
...Some of the present numer.ua standing committees will have to be eliminated or consolidated...
...Often in this war, Congress has seriously delayed and tree killed key measures of the President's legislative program...
...The lack of legislative leadership is sometimes made eatbarrsssingly clear when Congress opposes the President...
...The State Department also ·*» ««de several useful innovation...
...Every piece of major legislation his govern awnt has demanded has been enacted...
...Congressional party organisation* must develop their facilities to permit the rankand file to be hoard en policy and to provide the necessary discipline to make the members rapport party decisions...
...3—Congress lacks sn expert staff equipped to advise it on many technical problems...
...We must, therefore, look for other devices which will ?ake Congress more responsible than it is now, even if not to the degree that exists in England...
...It depends largely upon the President for guidance, bnt even he...
...ng sharp atteii-' tie* upon its shortcomings...
...The internal procedures of Congress which lacilit-jte obstruction of Presidential measures by only a few legislators also should be modified...
...It 1* hardly likely that enough political pretturt will develop for everything to be done at one stroke...
...Congress can and h«* drawn on experts from the Executive Branch and private sources...
...There is neither an Immediate election, nor a change in government...
...Then the committee might assume excessive leverage against the President and csuse him to modify policies, not because they lack merit, hut merely to assert legislative power...
...Their elevation to the status of accepted techniques nr legislative-executive relations would contribute much to Congress's efficiency and the constructiveness of its role in making public policy...
Vol. 28 • April 1945 • No. 17
